Knee pain when squatting is very common because not everybody knows the proper squat form. Truth be told, squatting is a very misunderstood exercise. Even though there are various ways to do one there are a lot of unnecessary mistakes.

And, if done incorrectly, you can develop bad technique, sustain injury (knee pain included) and miss all the wonderful benefits of this important and great exercise.

Here are 8 tips to accomplish the proper squat form.

Stand Secure

Stand with your feet a bit wider than shoulder width apart. Place your feet securely on the ground and slightly point out your toes.

Head Up

Keep your head up and eyes looking forward while you squat. Never look down because body positioning often follows the lead of the head.

Breathe

As you begin make sure to inhale on the way down and exhale on the way up. Remember never strain or hold your breath.

Hinge Hips

Hinge your hips so that your butt extends back when you squat down. With the hip hinge, your knees won’t track over your toes and you will maintain a neutral spine. This will allow you to bend at the hips, not the low back.

Use Your Arms

Extend your arms straight out as you squat down which will help to support and maintain good form. You can also use weights or bands, which along with helping you balance, will increase your workload.

Chest Up Shoulders Out

Make sure to keep your chest up and shoulders out. This will help maintain your spinal alignment and reduce injury when performing the squat.

Arch Your Back

Arch your back slightly which falls in line with your natural spinal curvature. To avoid injury, never round your back.

Go As Low As YOU Can

Don’t try to be someone you are not. You can do a mini squat, have your hamstrings parallel to the floor or squat deep. Remember, if you feel pain you have gone too far.

And there you have it. 8 tips to accomplish the proper squat form. If you apply these simple tips to your squats you will reap all the wonderful benefits like building muscle, burning fat and boosting overall performance.

You can check out the video to this post on the proper squat form here or click the video below.

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1 thought on “Proper Squat Form”

i agree with you Squats are the KING of all exercises because they are a “functional” exercise that affect your ability to live a full, healthy life. Anything from getting out of a chair, to squatting down to pick something off the floor requires squat strength. Especially as we get older, proper squat technique is absolutely critical to maintain health and longevity.